The invention is directed to the art of automated generation of shopping list information on a consumer data processing device and will be described with general reference thereto. However, it will be appreciated that the invention has broader application, such as in the construction of any database for ordering which information is taken directly from indicia disposed on previously obtained items or indicia representative of products for which an order will be effected.
There is an increasing acceptance and reliance on digital or computer technology by the common consumer. Personal computers have found their way into a significant number of households. Personal computer owners are becoming both comfortable with the technology associated with their computer, as well as appreciating the various applications and services that a personal computer may perform.
Personal computers are but one small portion of the encroachment of digital technology into the consumer home. Consumers are exposed to digital technology in appliance controls; entertainment devices, such as stereos and videocassette recorders; as well as such devices as personal information managers, electronic calendars, and the like.
In addition to the foregoing, there has been a rapid increase in electronic data interchange which significantly involves the typical consumer. Perhaps the biggest growth of such interchange has been by virtue of the growth and the on-line market. This growth commenced with point-to-point data communication, as with bulletin board services ("BBSs"), and has been substantially accelerated by the rapid growth of the global Internet. The proliferation of digital integration and data communication has reached several areas not traditionally associated with such technology. The effects have grown to reach areas such as food distribution by implementation in grocery stores. It is now common for consumers to prepare grocery lists and communicate them via facsimile to the grocer. In such instances, the consumer often pays a small fee for assembly and delivery of the requisite items, which fee is often waived with a sufficiently large order. The grocer is provided with a regular source of business. The consumer is provided with convenience, coupled with savings realized by forfeiting spontaneous and superfluous purchases.
One concern associated with the foregoing is the requirement that the consumer build and maintain a database of products. Further, the consumer must have fax capabilities to communicate this information to the grocer. Thus, a word processor, facsimile modem or fax machine and printer are required. This is both a substantial dollar investment, as well as increase in sophistication and time to set up the infrastructure necessary to take advantage of the grocer's service.
The subject applications solves the foregoing problems, and others, and provides an inexpensive, easy-to-use system for obtaining product information, assembling a list and communicating this list to the grocer.